Tag: DIY

You ever get in one of those moods? I’ve been in one of those moods for awhile. It seems like one thing many of us do is go after our hair. Well, I’m sick of spending money on hair. I’m sick of men being able to get more of a haircut than us for a fraction of the price. What I mean by this is that I’ve watched a man get a short haircut and seen a woman getting almost the same haircut with not as much taken off, and…

The summer of 2017, and there was a coffee date with my mother and youngest sister. We went for a walk through local stores while she looked longingly at a framed chalk board with a magnetic side to it. Such a simple concept, it seemed, using wood that looked a bit aged with some hooks on it. I said, “I could make that.” She asked, “Can you?” I was having my baby girl time with my niece, and thought it looked like an easy project, so, of course, I said…

There’s something so rewarding about having hens. I like seeing them run to me whenever I’m outside. It’s silly, I know. They’re my pets. I don’t have them named because I can’t tell them apart, but I still took care of them from the egg, from being in chicksville… Yet, when obtaining baby chicks, there’s something amiss with the whole operation of raising hens. The whole idea of providing them a home. I made the mistake of buying a cheaply constructed coop during my first chicken raising round. After experiencing…

In the course of doing repairs, it seems once you start working on one thing, another thing can go wrong. Silly me turning the water off to the washing machine while I was painting. What was I thinking? When I purchased the house, the shut off valve was one that I personally hadn’t used. It was made by a company called SYMMONS, and the water pressure that came out of it was impressive. However, after more than 25 years, it seems the shut off part of it started to corrode and…

Our house came with plenty of problems. I was told the previous owner had nine dogs that were kept inside after a neighbor complained. The result was urine damage to the floors. The floors were a honey color, and I wanted something more rustic. What I REALLY wanted to do was attempt to save the original flooring. I rented a floor sander and sanded the layer away, but the urine stains remained. A real estate agent suggested that I make the floors black, but it wasn’t the route I was…

Searching for your first place can be daunting. We live in a HGTV, DIY world where shows exist that teach we can have everything we want for a minimal price with some sort of five week turnover. The truth of the matter is this isn’t true. Most of us don’t have a team of people to fix up a house of our choice. Most of us don’t have friends with their own HGTV show who can do a turnover for us within a two month period with a total revamping…

My house has a two story open entry way that had a small brass chandelier in view of a window. That chandelier was a bad size for the area it was located. With a foyer that open and tall, I knew I could get away with something large. I love the wrought iron type of look. However, purchasing a wrought iron chandelier that is four feet high would be ridiculous. The weight of such an adventure would surely be problematic with me having to hire a crew to help. Even…

When we purchased this home, I really underestimated the amount of work that needed to be done. The wrap around porch was something that I didn’t look closely at because it seemed to be in decent condition. Of course, I’ve really questioned our judgment with a few things regarding this home. The first being the home inspector we hired who was 85 years old and working more for a real estate agent than us. I’m not saying his age prevented a good evaluation. However, it did prevent him from looking…

My husband loves the reality television shows about Alaska. He pointed out to me one day that a means of survival requires a dependence on the good will of neighbors. Neighbors are essential and crucial to get repairs done or get help when you need it when you’re in the Alaskan frontier. I’ve never been to Alaska, but, in theory, I think it would be great if we all used our skills and talents. Bartering seems to be a thing of the past, yet seems so ideal were we all…

I was asked to assist in a home that needed a “mini” flip. There were a few things that needed to be changed and repaired in the home. The medicine cabinet that had been previously installed had large holes in the bottom of it, shelving that was inadequate due to warping, and broken mirrors. The mirrors had also lost their silvering on the back and looked terrible. I had a challenge in a few areas with this installation because I didn’t have my usual go-to tools available and needed to…